CAPE TOWN: South Africa will make their debut for 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka as one of three changes to their squad for the second and final Test against Pakistan starting at Newlands on Friday.
Opening batsman Tony de Zorzi has been ruled out with a left thigh strain and will be replaced by all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who will bat at number three with Ryan Rickelton moving to the opener’s position.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj has recovered from injury and replaces seamer Corbin Bosch after the latter starred on debut in the tense two-wicket win during last week’s first Test in Pretoria.
Maphaka has only bowled 60.5 overs in first-class cricket and was writing his school exams a few months ago. He takes the place of Dane Paterson, who won 5-61 in the first innings at Centurion Park.
“We want to go with a bit more pace, although Paterson has been excellent for us,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma told reporters on Thursday. “Whatever happens from a performance point of view, it will put him (Maphaka) in a good position. He will hope to meet Kagiso Rabada in the coming days.
“You want to allow him to be as free as possible… and allow the exuberance of youth to come out. It’s a case of bowl as fast as you can.
“He doesn’t have a foundation (for playing) first-class cricket, and this is certainly not a test for him, we know what his talent is about.”
The previous Test at Newlands against India 12 months ago was completed in 107 overs and the visitors won by seven wickets, the shortest game to have a winner in Test history.
The pitch drew heavy criticism and Bavuma seemed reluctant to discuss it on the eve of the match against Pakistan.
“The wicket looks quite interesting. Hopefully it lasts the full five days, or at least offers the opportunity,” was all he said.
South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lords against as yet unconfirmed opponents, but Bavuma said they are excited to close the series against Pakistan and are not treating this as a dead issue.
“The series is still up for grabs, it’s not just that we’ve ticked the box of being in the final,” Bavuma said. “We still want to be clinical, we aim for 2-0. The focus is still there.
“As much as we won last week, we weren’t at our best with bat and ball and that’s something we have to work on.”
Pakistan will regret not closing out the first Test after reducing South Africa to 99-8 chasing 148 on a difficult Centurion Park wicket, only for all-rounder Marco Jansen and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada to steer the hosts to victory.
“It’s encouraging to compete, but we have to be ruthless and we have to cross that line somewhere,” team captain Shan Masood said Thursday. “There is a lot of potential on that side, and if we don’t cross the line, we are not doing justice to our talent and ability.
“That just comes from a caring point of view, and yes, we all make mistakes and sometimes we don’t cross this line, but I really believe that this side has the capacity, and people have seen that there is a lot more to this side than the results “. suggest.”
Shan suggested Pakistan might not opt for a specialist spin option to ensure the presence of all-rounder Aamer Jamal, who the captain said brings balance to the team.
“Aamer brings the team together,” he said. “He is a very important player in the Test team in the future. That number eight position where you can bat like a very decent batsman and bowl like a proper fast bowler.
“South Africa still have four seamers in play. They have the luxury of having quite a few versatile players on the team. For us, it will be a little more complicated. “We still believe that pace will have an important role to play in these conditions.”
Pakistan have won only two of their previous 16 Tests in South Africa, and none since 2007. They have lost all four of their previous visits to Cape Town.
There will likely be a large crowd during the holidays and they should enjoy the occasion with a light home calendar for the next 18 months.
Under the ICC’s Future Tours program as it currently stands, this will be South Africa’s last home Test until Australia’s visit in September 2026, and its only international venue in all three formats in 2025.
SOUTH AFRICA XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (goalkeeper), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka
PAKISTAN: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (goalkeeper), Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Abdullah Shafique, Mir Hamza, Noman Ali, Haseebullah Khan.
Published in Dawn, January 3, 2025
